Stargate SG1: Infinities
by TheGateNerd
Summary: An alternate universe told from the perspective of an original character. Begins 3 years prior to COTG. Eventual pairings: SamOC, DanielSha're... New chapters are coming... chapter 4 is being moved back in the story a ways.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first submission to this - or any - site. Reviews are greatly appreciated, but please... be gentle. This one's going to be AU, and probably long. BTW, for anyone that's curious, SGVern is my brother. This story starts two years before the events chronicled in the movie. This story begins in January, 1994.

Stargate SG-1: Infinities

By TheGateNerd

Hello. My name is Tim McFadden. At the time this little tale begins, I haven't quite reached my 18th birthday and I am the University of Oregon's youngest graduate, with degrees in both computer science and physics. My graduation ceremony had ended just hours before my first job offer came in. I got a call from a Dr. Catherine Langford, a prominent astrophysicist whose work I'd heard of during my studies. She asked if I was interested in participating in a program that would rapidly expand the bounds of our knowledge in a number of scientific disciplines. She said that she wasn't able to provide me with any specific details over the phone, due to the extremely high classification level the project was operating under. If I accepted the position, however, all details of the project would be explained to me upon my arrival.

Given that anything of a highly classified nature indicated sure military involvement, and military involvement meant a very decent paycheck, I immediately accepted Dr. Langford's offer of a position as assistant astrophysicist and computer programmer on the project.

A week later, I had checked myself into a hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I'd found out from the locals that it took about half an hour to drive to Cheyenne Mountain from downtown, so I left the hotel at about 7:15 in the morning to ensure that I would arrive early.

Just under thirty minutes later, I pulled up to the guarded entrance of the mountain complex. A guard stopped me and I identified myself. The guard informed his partner and I waited. And waited some more. I glanced at the clock on my dashboard and mentally swore. I was going to be late for my first day at work. Finally, the guard came out, and gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for the delay, Mr. McFadden, but we had to make sure that you were, in fact, expected to be here," he explained.

I flashed him a rueful smile. "That's all right, ah," I glanced at his uniform, "Sergeant. I've heard that this is a pretty high-security place, so I suppose precautionary measures are in order." I looked at the dashboard clock and grimaced. Noticing my wince, he gave me a sympathetic grin. "Don't worry, sir," he offered, "my partner's on the phone with General West now, letting him know that the delay is our fault."

"Thanks," I replied gratefully, while miming wiping nervous sweat from my forehead. The sergeant flashed a grin at me and raised the gate arm and I drove through. A few minutes later, as I got to the base entrance, more guards led me through the process of getting my identification badge, a decent-sized stack of nondisclosure and other there-will-be-grave-consequences-if-you-violate-national-security forms. About midway through wading through the stack, an older, gray-haired woman exited the elevator.

She walked over to the table where I was scrawling signatures on the various forms and held out her hand. "Hello. Mr. McFadden, I presume?"

I nodded and took her hand in a firm grip. "That would be me. I'm sorry about being -"

The woman waved away my apology before it could really even get started. "It's all right, Mr. McFadden. It's actually my fault it took so long for security up here to clear you. I was on the phone with your immediate supervisor when you got here. It turns out that she's not going to be here until this afternoon, due to an…accident that she had last night." The pause before she said _accident_ told me that it probably hadn't been one, but since I was new here, I decided to let it pass. The woman looked at me ruefully. "Where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet. I'm Dr. Catherine Langford, the head of the researchers here on the project."

Oh, so this was the prominent astrophysicist that had managed to persuade me to accept a job without really knowing what it was about? I took a closer look at her. She wasn't much taller than I was, but I could tell that there was a certain presence about her. "Nice to meet you, doctor." I thought for a minute, then decided that letting my supervisor's so-called accident pass without question probably wasn't such a good idea after all. "I have a question, if you don't mind?" Dr. Langford nodded for me to continue. "Is my supervisor's 'accident,'" and I made quoting motions at this, "going to be an ongoing occurrence, or has it been dealt with?"

Dr. Langford sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything further. Perhaps, once you've come to know Captain Carter a bit better, she'll tell you herself." Langford gave me a measuring look, then continued. "Aside from your college records, I don't know you that well myself. I have a feeling that we'll get along quite well, and I think you and Captain Carter will probably wind up being very good friends, as well as a strong working relationship."

By the time she'd finished her statement, I'd finished signing all of the forms I needed to deal with. I told Dr. Langford that I hoped we'd get along too as we walked towards the elevator to make our way into the base. As the elevator doors closed, I started wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

Author's End Note: So... this is the first chapter. Next chapter, Sam and Tim meet. Thanks to Stephanie, aka sgk203, for betaing this for me.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So... here we go with chapter 2. Reviews are encouraged, even if they are negative... Helps me get better, don't y'know.

Later that day, after Dr. Langford and a dark-haired General named West had gone through some preliminary information regarding the work that I was about to start, and after I'd endured a lunch that made even U of O's dorm food taste like it had been prepared by a gourmet chef, I received word that my supervisor, one Captain Samantha Carter, had arrived and wanted to meet me. After asking an airman where Captain Carter's office was located, I made my way to a lab on level 19 of the facility. When I arrived, I heard a female voice speaking. I peered into the room and gave the occupant a questioning look. Without breaking off the conversation she was having on the phone, she waved me in and motioned for me to close the door. Doing so, I sat in the chair she motioned that I should sit in. Once I had settled myself, I took the opportunity to get a closer look at the Air Force captain I'd be working with for the next undetermined length of time.

Captain Samantha Carter was fairly tall, I eyeballed her at about five-nine, maybe five-ten. Her current expression was that of someone who really didn't want to be having the conversation she was currently in the middle of. I decided to tune into it. "-It's over, Jonas. I can't take any more of your need to control me. I don't want to see you again. Goodbye." Carter slammed the phone down and sighed. She buried her face in her hands for a moment, then looked up and gave me a rather sad-looking smile. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm Captain Samantha Carter." She held out her hand.

"Tim McFadden," I replied, accepting the offered handshake. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Captain Carter." I looked at her sympathetically, taking in her rather care-worn appearance and the bruise on her right cheek. I decided that this woman probably needed a friend more than she needed an assistant right now. "If you'd like to talk about this Jonas person..." I offered tentatively.

Carter looked at my sympathetic expression and, somewhat surprisingly, decided to accept. "I've got a couch over here that's been getting a lot of use lately," she starts, pointing over to a dark-green couch next to the door. "Why don't we go sit down over there?" She suggested.

Captain Samantha Carter's viewpoint

I'd recommended that Catherine attempt to hire Tim after looking through a list of candidates for a civilian physicist to come in and help me try to figure out the capabilities of the big stone circle we had on level 28. The records didn't really do justice to him personally, though. The man sitting across from me in my lab had much more of a presence about him than could really be conveyed in a picture. He couldn't have been much taller than five feet tall, though he carried himself in such a way that he seemed to be much more average in height. Catherine had told me about his attempt to find out if my fight with Jonas last night was going to be a recurring problem. He had gracefully accepted her refusal to tell him anything about it. Catherine had also told me that she felt that it might not be a bad idea for me to open up to him during this initial meeting. Her words were something to the effect of "you need a friend, Samantha. I think he may want to be that friend. Let him."

Now, with Mr. McFadden - no, I think I'd better get used to calling him Tim - sitting in front of me with a sympathetic look on his face that made me think that he might just be more mature than his age, I decided that I really _did _need a friend right now. To hell with work. Catherine will understand.

So we go sit down on the couch that I point out, and I just start pouring out everything. Jonas, my father, my mother's death, all of it comes out. By the time I'm finished, I'm in tears. Tim doesn't even hesitate. He just wraps me in a very gentle hug, and the gesture just increases the flood coming from my eyes.

Tim McFadden's viewpoint

After hearing Captain Car- ah, hell, Sam, finish giving me her life story and break into tears, I immediately put my arms around her and guide her head to my shoulder. I don't even care that she's getting my shirt damp with her tears, which seem to be falling even faster after putting her in this hug. "Sam, it okay, just let it out. I'm not going anywhere," I whisper into her hair. At that point, I decide that after all the stress I've gone through the past several years, with all of the expectations of being as smart as I am, I could use a friend, too. Sam seems to sense this, as she sniffles and pulls away slightly. "Thanks," she says, giving me a watery smile. "I didn't really mean to give you my whole life story there, but I guess I needed it."

I smile back. "It's all right, Sam. I really don't mind." My smile fades slightly as her story brings up some of my own memories.

End Notes: Next chapter, Tim unburdens himself and a friendship begins. I think maybe the chapters might come once a day or once every other day.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Here's chapter 3. I'm sorry for the delay on this. I started working in a local call center on April 28th, and this is the first chance I've really had to sit down and write. I had this chapter about three-quarters of the way done before I started working, and just let it sit for a bit more than a month before finishing it just now.

Stargate SG-1: Infinities, Chapter 3

By: TheGateNerd

Captain Samantha Carter's viewpoint

After I saw Tim's smile slip slightly, I realized that some of what I had just told him may have resonated with his own experiences. I glanced at my watch, and noticed that this man had put up with me for close to three hours. Ouch. Good thing Catherine had told me that she really didn't expect us to get much work done today. Oh well. I look again at Tim, and noticed that he seemed to be thinking about something. "Hey," I put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He looks at me questioningly. "You were nice enough to listen to me for the past three hours. It's my turn now." I give his shoulder a squeeze.

I saw a relieved expression flit across his face before it settles into a self-deprecating smile. "You sure? I've got probably as much to get off my chest as you did." His smile slips again. This time, it gets replaced with a lost expression. "Here goes, then." And what comes out is amazing. This incredibly intelligent man, who had appeared to be so confident, really wasn't. He told me about all of his school experiences, not being to really make friends, about the expectations that come with being, literally, a genius. By the time he'd finished, tears were standing in his eyes. Turnabout being fair play and all that, I gave him the same gentle hug he'd given me earlier. As his hug had done for me earlier, my comforting embrace stripped away what was left of his own control, and Tim broke down and wept on my shoulder. I just sat there and moved my hand up and down his back to sooth him. Shortly, the weeping subsided, and he flashed me a smile that looked much like I suspect mine did after I'd cried on his shoulder. "Y'know, we look like we got into a water balloon fight or something," he commented with a wry chuckle, pointing out our soaked shirts.

I laugh with him, "Good point," I giggle, then turn serious. "Thank you, Tim." I start.

Tim McFadden's viewpoint

Good, I made her laugh. Then she actually thanked me for soaking her shirt. Of course, I had let her soak mine. But, I felt so much better after opening up to this woman that I had to stop her from feeling that she owed me something. I held up a hand. "No, Sam," I say gently, "I should be the one thanking you. You were the one having a bad day, and not only did you let me give you an ear and a shoulder, you got me to open up to you, which I don't do very often. We both came into this in need of finding a friend, and I'm hoping that's what has happened here."

To her credit, Sam didn't even think about it. She just gave me a mega-watt smile and hugged me. "We already are friends," she whispered into my hair. Then she pulled back and got a slightly mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "So, how about we do what friends do and go have dinner?" She asked.

I look at my watch, then do a rather exaggerated double-take - purely for Sam's benefit, of course. "Dinner, indeed!" I huff, with a mock-stern look on my face, and an amused twinkle in my eyes. "We've been at this for the better part of seven hours now. I hope Dr. Langford doesn't mind us not getting any work done."

Sam just rolls her eyes and grins, "Catherine and I talked when I got here. I got the distinct impression that she was hoping I'd let you give me a shoulder and an ear." Her grin turns into a soft smile, and her eyes get slightly misty. "And I'm really glad that I did. Otherwise, I don't think you'd have let me get to know you," she sniffs. "I think that's the most important thing that happened here today. I already had a few friends here. You, however, needed a friend very badly, and now I'm here for you," she finishes. Then she puts her arms around me and just holds me. I return her embrace, thinking, _Sam, you don't know how right you are._

End note: I think Chapter 4 is going to pick up three years later, with Tim being called into the same briefing in Children of the Gods that Sam was called into. The intervening period of time will probably be covered in assorted flashbacks. Unless I get reviews telling me otherwise, that is... With my work schedule, chapters will be coming out maybe twice a week, possibly once a week if I decide I want to get some Diablo II gaming in before I go to work.


End file.
